Ark Veterinary Clinic: Helton, Mick DVM

"Very obvious that they care more about money than the animal or the pet parents. They told us our cat needed teeth removed and gave us a $1600-$2000 estimate. The day of the surgery I brought him in before they opened, and they told us they would be communicating with us throughout the day about the surgery and how things were going. They NEVER called. I had to call them to get any sort of update. They had me pick him up after the clinic had closed and he was just waking up from the anesthesia because they made him was ALL DAY for the surgery. Then the price was more than estimated, which was not communicated until it was time for payment. When I expressed my dismay at the lack of communication I spoke with the office manager who only offered excuses. The next time we brought him in, not even six months later, it felt like they couldn’t be bothered to talk with us or look at him for that long, and said that he needed another several teeth pulled and gave us another $2000 estimate. This time we got a second opinion and he only needed a teeth cleaning. We switched our vet care completely and couldn’t be happier with the care he is receiving, the vet talks with us and spends a lot of time interacting with our cat. They communicate fully and are focused on how to deliver needed care without extra expenses. Shame on you Ark, shame on you."

"I don't know what happened to this place but its not the same as it was 2 years ago. My dog had surgery and anesthesia to remove a potentially cancerous mast cell tumor a few years ago and the entire thing cost ~$350. I paid far more than that just for an exam, to test her blood sugar and do an EKG. Once those results came back and the only anomaly was low blood sugar, they suggested testing to check insulin levels and do an ultrasound of her pancreas for tumors at an estimated $1300. After they sent me an email with a now-broken link that redirected me to a sketchy webmd-type page on pancreatic cancer in dogs. If this is the cost of testing then the treatment must be unimaginable. They wanted to put her under anesthesia for the ultrasound too, which they estimated would be $500+ on its own, she is almost 12 and this is extremely risky and not good practice given I initially took her in because she was having spells of weakness. She's my service dog. She keeps me alive and I'm not taking that chance and they clearly did not have her best interests at heart if they immediately jump on tacking on any additional charges they can give you. Even at the potential expense of your animal's life. They let her blood spoil after the first blood draw and I had to take her back again a few days later to get it taken again. After the second blood draw, they brought her out to me with a severe limp. She could not get into the car without help. It took her 3 days to recover. She was absolutely terrified of the place when I took her in after that, and that was a new development. I don't know what happened to her back there, but I'm not risking having it happen again. They refuse to prescribe heartworm medication without a heartworm test even if your animal has been consistently on them for the entire year. This is new and was not a thing at any of my previous vets or even this one when I first moved here. I have been told by many many vets that as long as there is no lapse in their heartworm treatment, tests are unnecessary. Even after a few months, a test is unnecessary, because it takes quite a long time for a severe enough heartworm infestation to develop to make giving them medication risky. The test costs $200. They also told me a few years ago her warts and skin tags were very standard canine papillomas and weren't anything to worry about and something many dogs get as they age. I knew this because her mast cell tumor was a completely different texture and shape and placement within the dermis and the fact it had no external structure like the papillomas. This past visit they told me those same warts and skin tags ALL could be potential mast cell tumors and suggested a biopsy. Care is inconsistent over years and even days within the same week. One day we had a lot of friendly people, the next my dog came back able to walk less than when I brought her in. Clearly the Hippocratic Oath does not extend to veterinarians, at least not at this location. I need to find a new vet. I never want to take my dog back here."

"Just called to inquire about getting my cat spayed. I was told I would need to make an appointment for a checkup first ($79). I asked what the purpose of this appointment would be since spaying is an extremely routine procedure. I was told it was “so the vet could get to know my pet and make sure everything is okay with her before the procedure”. Sounds like a completely pointless appointment and unnecessary expense for such a routine procedure. Seems like just a way to get more money out of someone for a routine procedure. I then asked for a ballpark figure for the cost to have my cat spayed. I was told she can’t give out that information. When I asked why, her reply was very vague and did not make much sense. Something about every cat is different and there may be more things involved, weight, etc. I said, ok, can you give me just the average of what your clinic normally charges for this procedure? Like, not asking for a quote. Not asking for some figure to hold them too. Just an average cost for a procedure they do all the time. I was told “they don’t want me to give out that information”. Wow. Ok. So, I’m guessing it must be very expensive, let alone the completely pointless $79 pre-appointment. I’d go elsewhere. Shame on this business for being so shady and underhanded."

"I can't tell you how grateful I am for this clinic. My dog got attacked and my vet was closed. Ark gave her such excellent care, on top of having more open hours, that even having felt like we got good care from our last vet, we're switching. Thank you Ark!!!"

"Let me start with in the past I’ve had a really good experience with the ark clinic. Just recently, I had found out that my dogs primary vet had left the clinic which should have a been a red flag from the start. So onto my main issue. I had called to make an appointment for my dogs surgery about a month ago and was quoted a specific price range that I had agreed upon. When I took my dog in for the blood work/exam before the surgery, I was informed the price had greatly gone up from the quote. I understand inflation, but when I was emailed the quote I would have expected that it would’ve been a current up to date quote and they should have honored that. I’m more upset at the fact they have my dogs weight and information, and that I should have been given the correct quote from the beginning than to be blindsided at the appointment. Unfortunately this experience left a bad taste and I will be looking for another vet clinic."